A spokesperson protocol defines who can speak on behalf of the company, on which topics, in which situations, and with what level of pre-approval. It is the governance layer that prevents unauthorized or off-message public statements.

Tiered Authorization

Tier 1 (CEO/C-suite): company strategy, financial results, major partnerships, crisis response. Tier 2 (SVPs/VPs): product launches, division-level news, industry commentary within their domain. Tier 3 (Directors/Subject-matter experts): technical topics, trend commentary, thought leadership within their specialty. Everyone else routes media inquiries to the communications team.

Crisis Protocol

In a crisis, the spokesperson protocol typically narrows to one or two authorized voices — usually the CEO and the head of communications. All other employees are directed not to speak with media or post on social media about the situation. The Crisis Playbook should include the crisis-specific spokesperson chain.

Training

Anyone authorized to speak with media should receive media training — including on-camera practice, bridging techniques, and message discipline. An untrained spokesperson is a liability, no matter how senior.